you make the bed you lie in
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A person's circumstances are normally the result of their own actions.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Hoàn cảnh của một người thường là kết quả của hành động của chính họ
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “you make the bed you lie in” mean?
A person's circumstances are normally the result of their own actions.
Is “you make the bed you lie in” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.